Old tree falls victim to winter weather
Women who fought to save elms has one crash into her house late Saturday
Lei Leng Ong was in her pyjamas, snuggled up in front of the TV at about midnight Saturday when her black lab Olive let out a low growl.
“Oh, Olive, it’s just a squirrel,” she said. Olive growled again.
“And that’s when I heard it.” With a rumble and a crack one of the giant elms lining East 6th Avenue just east of Lakewood Drive came down, striking part of her roof.
“I was on the sofa with her (Olive) and I just grabbed her because I thought it would come through,” she said.
Already upstairs and in bed, Ong’s husband initially thought it was an earthquake. They changed their clothes and tried to open the front door, but it was blocked.
“I guess we’re not going out that way,” she said.
First the fire department arrived, alerted by a passerby. Then the city trucks came, and then an arborist. By the lights of the responder vehicles Ong shot a photo of the once-stately tree, it’s branches outstretched like arms reaching for help.
“It’s so sad. I love these trees,” said Ong, who had joined neighbours in a fight to save them about five years ago. “I’ve asked them to save me two stumps.”
Her husband wasn’t feeling as charitable. The couple had replaced their roof only a year ago and gutters last month: “He is just mad at the tree.”
The tree also broke through the skylight of her neighbour, who luckily was brushing her teeth in another room when it came down.
On Sunday morning city crews sawed and chipped away at the remains while neighbours stood by, thankful that no one had been hurt.